It had happened again. He had broken down in school once again. There he was, crying and ugly and disgusting in his wheel chair sitting in the middle of the school restroom. Pathetic as ever. Would he ever man up? According to Vriska, he wouldn't. And he very well believed her. She was probably laughing at him in class. Where he should be, but he wasn't. No, he was too busy being a baby.

After missing the whole period, the teacher came in, looking for him with an annoyed look. Though, it faded just a little as he noticed the wet face. Just a little though. Tavros was sent to the school guidance counselor after the teacher failed to get answers from him

"Tavros," the blonde woman started, jolting him out of his thoughts.

"Y-Yes?" He almost added ma'am at the end, but the awkward rise in his voice discouraged him enough to not add another word to the reply.

"What's going on? Why are you in my office again?" He looked up long enough to see that she was tracing a finger around the edge of her whine glass while observing him with a questionable rise of an eyebrow. He looked down once more.

"N-N-…Nothing Mrs. Lalonde. I-I… it's just s-some kids…" God, he had butchered that sentence and sent it straight to hell. Why was he so awkward…?

Mrs. Lalonde didn't seem to like his answer, assumed by her loud sigh and how she fell back in her seat, "This is the third time this week! I can't allow you to miss your classes every day! Your grades are bad as it is!"

He used to be so great in school. People would bother him, yes, but it never really seemed to bug him. He had some friends. At least, he thought he did. Vriska. He'd never forget the name. She was probably his best friend. Until, of course, she put him in a wheelchair and abandoned him. Maybe she wasn't as nice as he had made her out to be before then, he supposed. But, it still hurt. She had started new rumors, made him out to be a freak to everyone and pointed out how weak he was now. And, for the most part, she's right about how weak he is. Yeah, he has some upper body strength from pulling himself around all day in his four wheeled device. But, it's where his emotions and self-esteem were that made him weak. His self-esteem was already so low; he didn't think it could be damaged more than it already was. But, as always, he was completely wrong. After being forced into his wheelchair for life, his esteem hit an all-time low. Especially when his peers decided it was funny how awkward he looked in the wheelchair. If asked, he would definitely say he'd rather have died when he fell off that cliff than to live and be like this.

After he had refused to reply for at least half a minute, Mrs. Lalonde finally sighed, "Look, I've talked with your father and he agrees. It's time for you to be happy, okay? You may not like it, but we've both looked into some… places that might help."

Tavros looked up just enough to see her expression. She seemed to own a genuine, worried look. He sniffled a little, still a bit snotty from crying, "P-Places…?"

"Now, don't worry. It's nothing bad or anything. After some searching, your father and I found the perfect place. It's kind of like a hotel really. You stay for a couple days and once you're better, you go home. Pretty simple."

Once he's better? How does one simply become 'better' just by staying in some "hotel" for a few nights? It sounds awfully sketchy, but the proposition of feeling happy… not having to worry about kids judging him… not having to cry everyday…

"Wh-When do I go?"

"If you agree now, we can get you in tonight. But if you'd like a day or two to think…"

"I-I Agree. I-…. I'm tired of being…s –scared. And sad…" he stared at his bitten and almost pink-ish fingernails sitting in his lap. So interesting. But, what he spoke was true. He was sick of it. And if this "hotel" was going to help him, then by God he was going to get help!

"And that's a brave decision. I'll contact your dad now. He'll pick you up and take you over there. The wait to get in is the worst part about it. Insurance and all that mess." She nodded to him and leaned back in her chair once more, having sat up and forward as she spoke. He nodded and didn't reply more. He was just ready for his father to come. His eyes hurt and he was a little sleepy after crying.

Oh my God. What has he done? If he had known it was going to be like this, he would have disagreed. It was too scary and too sad all at once. All he could think of was that miserable look his father had as he was taken away by two men- one rather lanky and the other a tad on the cubby side- pushed him and his wheelchair away and into some back room labeled 'Safety Search'. He had said his own teary good-byes to his father beforehand, but the reality kicked him harder in the face as he was dragged- well, more rolled away from his father. They told him to strip, frightening him half to death. Apparently, they had to make sure he wasn't carrying anything lethal on him and to do that, they had to search his clothes and body to make sure of that.

With the darkest of all blushes, he removed his clothes in front of the boney-looking man and handed them to the chunky one. The lanky one lifted his legs up and pushed him forward a bit to look behind his back and in the wheelchair to make sure he had nothing behind there rather indiscreetly before announcing that he had nothing on him. Soon enough, the chubby one concluded the same and threw his clothes back to him. God he hated this place already. He was so definitely lied to. THIS was certainly the worst part about it. Not the six hour wait!

He was loaded into a van and taken to a separate building, watching out the window as he passed his father's car. What a mistake this was. He already missed everything about his home and his Dad and his computer and his RPGs.

They turned into the front of a rather small looking building from the front, but if you got a good look from the side, one could see that it was pretty big length wise. From what he could also see, there was a caged in play area of some sorts. Strange. When they parked, the lady driving the vehicle barked, "Last kid of the day, thank God! It's nine o' clock and I'm tired as hell!" His escort, a black lady with a nice enough figure, laughed at the statement as she climbed out and helped Tavros out and into his wheelchair once more. The damned thing. Maybe if he never had to be in one, he wouldn't be here.

He was lead inside and around a few corners until he was met with a pair of doors that had to be unlocked with a certain key each staff member owned. There was a sign next to the doors that read "Recovery Academy". Oh God. What a cheesy, stupid, cliché name. Why is he even here? Oh yeah, because he's apparently a suicidal, depressed maniac! Along with all the other crazy kids! How fun. Maybe they can swing out in that play area and sing random monotonous nursery songs.

The lady opened the doors and instructed him to wait by some weird looking vitals machine. He forgot the name of those. He used to be around them a lot when he was in his wheel chair though. He managed to wheel himself over to the machine even though his hands were shaking heavily with nerves.

"One of the nurses will come and see that your vitals are checked here shortly." With that, the lady left him to himself, strolling behind the counter that stood no more than three feet away. There were several, almost hospital dressed, people behind the counter typing or chatting quietly. It made him nervous and doubtful. This wasn't any hotel. How could you possibly compare this to a hotel? It was more a hospital than anything! Recovery Academy. Bull. Malarkey.

While he thought these angry comments on the place around him, a tall, lanky boy- maybe seventeen- walked in. Well, walked in wouldn't be a good word to describe it. Rather stomped in with a bit of impatience to his step from a hallway glittered with different doors. He kind of reminded him of the guy that watched him undress. That thought gave him chills. But, unlike the other man, this boy seemed to be the kind of unhealthy type of lanky rather than simply thinness.

With interest and slight uneasiness, he watched the lanky boy come up to the counter and whisper something incomprehensible in a bit of a whine…? Desperation maybe? Unsure, he just continued to watch as the doctors handed him two pills which he hastily downed without a drink of anything. Oddly, to Tavros, he opened his mouth and showed the doctors his tongue. It was probably to show that he had taken the pills. After given an okay, the lanky boy took a seat on the other side of the room. He was leaned over in his chair as if he were exhausted. Elbows on his knees and hands clasped, the boy definitely gave off the appearance of being tired or depressed or anything between. Were all the kids like this here?

Tavros' fear rose to a peak and with a yelp as he felt something suddenly wrap around his arm.

"Relax, relax. I'm only taking your vitals."

Oh. Whoops. That was completely embarrassing. Clearing his throat, he nodded and apologized with a bit of a squeak in his voice. Why couldn't he just be a normal guy instead of this all-the-time awkwardness?

Silently allowing the nurse to take his vitals, he dove back into his thoughts. Would he be forced to room alone or with someone? How big are the showers? What soap will he use? What are the beds like? Are they too small? All these questions raided his mind until he was finally called up to the counter.

"Tavros Nitram, correct?"

He nodded in reply, refusing to use his voice.

"Are you on any medication?"

He shook his head.

"Sexual Orientation?"

"S-Straight…" His voice sounded so weak. He hoped he wasn't being judged.

"Right, you'll be rooming with two others in room 212. Second door down on the left."

He nodded hesitantly and backed away from the desk and rolled himself down the hallway, going right past the lanky, exhausted boy still sitting in that same position. But, he could have sworn that the boy was staring at him as he left. Probably paranoid thinking.

Just as the man instructed before, his room was the second door on the left in the hall. It was open but the lights were already out. There was one bed made and ready for him to climb into. It was a bit more awkwardly placed than the other two that were placed long ways from the opposite wall from his bed, both sides free to get to. His on the other hand, laid portrait ways and only had one side accessible. The beds were relatively close to the ground, which served rather useful and harmful to him. Useful meaning that it would be easy to climb into; harmful meaning it would be hard to get out of.

In one of the beds, closest to the window, slept a noisily snoring boy with the white sheets provided to them covered all the way over his head. It was obvious it was a boy given that they wouldn't allow boy and girls to share the same room. At least, he presumed so. He could be wrong. After a good minute of crawling out of his wheelchair and leaving it where he could climb back in easy, he snuggled underneath the covers still wearing his school clothes. His father had told him that he would bring all of his clothes and bath things tomorrow morning. Well, he could at least look forward to seeing his father again.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he finally allowed himself to cry quietly to himself in the comfort of "his" bed. Slowly, he allowed his soft cries to drift him to sleep.